Ravioli with Balsamic Mushrooms & Bacon

Ravioli with Balsamic Mushrooms & Bacon is a savory meal that comes together in minutes.

I love the flavor combo for this dish. We start with smokey bacon which provides the drippings for sauteeing shallots and thick-sliced baby bella mushrooms. Then garlic and earthy thyme and sage join the party. A splash of balsamic adds sweet-tangy magic to the mixture. This delightful concoction could grace the top of a steak or even a burger. But for today’s recipe, it’s being served over cheese ravioli.

I was craving something with a hearty, flavorful fall vibe when I discovered this gem. But it’s a great pasta meal for any season.

Ravioli with Balsamic Mushrooms and Bacon Tips

• Pasta water – you might be tempted to skip the addition of the pasta water to the mushroom sauce. But do add it! The starch from the water helps the sauce cling to the pasta. It also helps transform this butter-based sauce to a more silky consistency.
• Make ahead option – you can make the mushroom mixture ahead up to the point just before you add the balsamic. Then when you are ready, boil the ravioli and add the balsamic and pasta water to the mushroom sauce.
• Browned Butter option – I added a drizzle of browned butter when I reheated some leftovers because I was low on the sauce. It was delicious! It seemed like the ravioli needed a little more sauce when I made this dish initially. So I plan to add the browned butter in the future when I make this recipe again. Here’s a video link for making browned butter.
• Ravioli options – This recipe suggested homemade or store-bought cheese lasagna. I opted for buying my cheese ravioli. But ravioli stuffed with sausage, pumpkin, or a variety of other flavors would work equally well.
• Think Al dente – I recommend cooking the pasta and mushrooms until just barely done. This ensures the ravioli won’t fall apart and the mushrooms won’t get too watery.
• Mushrooms – you can use a mixture of wild mushrooms of your choice if you prefer.
• Make it Vegetarian – you can omit the bacon to make this dish vegetarian. Simply use olive oil instead of bacon drippings to saute the shallot and mushrooms.

Craving Pasta?

Here are a few of my other favorite pasta dishes. You can also search on pasta in my recipe index for additional tasty ideas.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Curry Sauce

Pumpkin Ravioli with Curry Sauce features purchased ravioli with a delicious cream-infused curry dill sauce.

Check out this recipe

Sausage, Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta

Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, Italian herbs and penne wrapped in a rich Parmesan-cream sauce.

Check out this recipe

Creamy Lemon Shrimp & Asparagus Pasta

A creamy Alfredo sauce with bright lemony flavor, plump shrimp, and asparagus nestled into your favorite pasta.

Check out this recipe

Ravioli with Balsamic Mushrooms and Bacon

Sauteed mushroom-shallot-bacon sauce & fresh herbs served over ravioli

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 6

Author: Adapted from Herby Buttered Balsamic Mushroom Ravioli by Half Baked Harvest

Ingredients

• 6 slices think cut bacon cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 1 shallot thinly sliced
• 1 pound sliced baby bella mushrooms
• kosher salt and pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme plus additional for finishing
• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped sage
• 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 pound cheese ravioli or other type fresh ravioli,
• 4 tablespoons browned butter optional (see link in notes)
• fried sage leaves, optional (see notes)

Instructions

• Cook bacon in large skillet until done to your level of crispness. Then remove bacon from pan and drain on paper towel, leaving 2-3 tablespoons of bacon grease in the pan.
• While bacon is cooking bring pasta water to a boil.
• Cook shallots on medium heat in bacon grease for a few minutes, until they soften. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat with bacon grease. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the mushrooms have caramelized, about 3-5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add the butter, garlic, thyme, and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes.
• Cook the ravioli according to package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the ravioli.
• Add the balsamic vinegar and the pasta cooking water to the mushroom sauce. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
• Divide the ravioli among plates or bowls. Drizzle with browned butter, if using. Then spoon the mushroom sauce over the ravioli. Finish with chopped thyme and fried sage leave, if desired.

Notes

Browned Butter video link  

Fried Sage Leaves – heat 1/2 inch of olive oil on medium-high heat in a small heavy skillet until it shimmers. Add individual sage leaves and fry for 20-30 seconds, or until crisp. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with Kosher salt.